LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.”
Selah

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Selah

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
Arise, O LORD;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Selah

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward doers of unrighteousness.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.

Trust in Yahweh and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in Yahweh;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to Yahweh,
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.

Be still in Yahweh and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out schemes of wickedness.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who hope for Yahweh, they will inherit the land.

Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
You will look carefully at his place, and he will not be there.
But the lowly will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked schemes against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slay those who are upright in conduct.
Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.

Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But Yahweh sustains the righteous.

Yahweh knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures,
They vanish—in smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh,
And He delights in his way.
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because Yahweh is the One who sustains his hand.

I was young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his seed begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his seed is a blessing.

Depart from evil and do good,
So you will dwell forever.

For Yahweh loves justice
And will not forsake His holy ones;
They are kept forever,
But the seed of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land
And dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.

The wicked spies upon the righteous
And seeks to put him to death.
Yahweh will not forsake him in his hand;
He will not condemn him when he is judged.

Hope for Yahweh and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man
Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.

Observe the blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have a posterity.
But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.

But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh;
He is their strength in time of distress.
Yahweh helps them and protects them;
He protects them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above pearls.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

She deals bountifully with him for good and not evil
All the days of her life.

She searches for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.

She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.

And she rises while it is still night,
And gives food to her household
And a portion to her young women.

She makes plans for a field and buys it;
From the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.

She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.

She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands hold fast the spindle.

She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits with the elders of the land.
Samekh
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And gives belts to the tradesmen.

Strength and majesty are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the instruction of lovingkindness is on her tongue.

She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and bless her;
As for her husband, he also praises her, saying:

“Many daughters have done excellently,
But you have gone above them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.

Give to her from the fruit of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Do not add to His words
Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.

When the righteous increase, the people are glad,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

By justice the king causes the land to stand,
But a man of bribes tears it down.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the lowly who understands searches him.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.

Proverbs 27; Luke 1:26-56; Matt 1:18-24; Luke 2:1-21; Matt 1:25-2:12

Christmas story

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, the beginning and the end.”